Just because you’re not traveling first class doesn’t mean your clothes can’t. Upgrade your traveling experience when you purchase from the new Travelpro® Platinum® Elite Collection — available exclusively at Travelpro.com through the end of June.

This new 17-piece collection of soft-sided luggage features the PrecisionGlide™ System, which offers precise control and an effortless roll. Three patented features function as an integrated system — just the kind of thoughtful innovation you’ve come to expect from Travelpro.

Travelpro Platinum Elite Vintage Gray

The Contour Grip has cushioned touch points to help alleviate stress on your hand for greater comfort and control. The PowerScope Extension Handle, made with airline-grade aluminum, is lightweight, yet durable and adjusts to four set heights while minimizing wobble. The MagnaTrac® Dual Spinner Wheels are self-aligning, allowing them to roll straight in any direction for excellent maneuverability when you can’t afford to slow down.

The Platinum® Elite Collection features smooth-gliding Spinners and Rollaboard® suitcases, as well as garment bags and personal totes for overnight trips and weekend getaways. Constructed of superior, scuff- and scratch-resistant fabrics with leather accents in online-exclusive colors and all backed by the new Built-for-a-Lifetime Limited Worry-Free Warranty, you’re sure to find the perfect piece of luggage to elevate your travel experience.

The Platinum® Elite Collection warranty “guarantees the functional performance of each piece against defects in material and workmanship for the life of the bag”. Additionally, the new Trusted Companion Promise element offers additional coverage like reimbursement of shipping cost if the product needs to be shipped to an authorized repair center for repair and it also covers the cost of repair for damage caused by an airline or other common carrier as long as you register your bag within the first 120 days of purchase or gift receipt.

Travelpro Platinum Elite

Another design feature created to meet airline regulations is the integrated USB port, which includes a zippered exterior pocket to store your power bank while you charge and use your electronic devices. Your power bank can be removed quickly and easily from the bag’s exterior, allowing you to continue using it during the flight while your bag is stowed in the overhead bin.

From the grab and go, lightweight Platinum® Elite Regional Duffel with built-in strap, easy-access front and back slip pockets for essentials and a roomy interior that accommodates packing cubes, to the sleek, top-of-the-line 29″ Expandable Spinner with fold-out suiter, integrated accessory pockets, and interior tie-down system, this collection has everything you need to elevate your packing game to the highest level—the elite, one might say—with Platinum® Elite.

Have you ever found yourself scheduling a business trip in an interesting city, and trying to find a way to see some interesting sights in the city? Have you ever tried tacking an extra day onto your trip, or even extending it over the weekend? This is what’s called bleisure travel, the combining of business and leisure.

Expedia Media Solutions and Luth Research found that 43 percent of business trips are actually some combination of business and leisure, and 70 percent of business travelers report doing so every two to three months. According to a similar survey conducted by the Global Business Travel Association, those taking advantage of these opportunities aren’t who you might expect.

Only 33 percent of those between the ages of 35 – 54 said they extended their stays for vacation, while even fewer of those 55+ — only 23 percent — did so. The group with 48 percent participation in bleisure travel were the 18 – 34-year-old business travelers.

Researchers weren’t able to say why definitively, but they speculated this younger group values traveling on someone else’s dime, having a weekend to explore a city when their employer has already picked up the airfare tab, and paying a lower negotiated rate for accommodations by staying at the same hotel they did while they conducted business on the company’s behalf. Expedia’s senior director of owner services stated that 84 percent of bleisure travelers stay in the same hotel they did for business, and the number one reason they move is because they can get a cheaper deal elsewhere.

The GBTA also said employers should encourage bleisure travel as a way to demonstrate they understand this demographic’s stated need for work-life balance.

So, how do you take advantage of a business trip and seize the opportunity to incorporate some leisure into it? Go in early or stay late. If you have business in a particular destination you’d like to explore, consider going in the weekend before those Monday and Tuesday meetings. You might become a hero to the accounting department by negotiating a lower rate because your stay is longer than the typical two-day booking made by most business travelers.

You could also schedule your business on Thursday and Friday and stay over the weekend, paying the same hotel rate and booking a cheaper return fare on Sunday. You may even be able to use the frequent flyer miles you’ve accumulated through other business trips to bring along loved ones or a friend, thereby reducing the cost for those you want to share your vacation time with.

Special Travelpro Bleisure Promotion

Platinum Magna 2 21 Expandable Spinner Suiter

If you’re considering a bleisure trip and you find yourself in need of new luggage, Travelpro has an extra incentive. Between now (Tuesday, May 1, 2018) and Friday, May 4, 2018, purchase any piece of luggage from the Travelpro website and receive a free, foldable nylon tote. This small, compact bag is great for carrying on those fun mementos from that bleisure trip that might otherwise not fit into your normal carry-on luggage.

Are you a bleisure traveler? How do you combine work and business travel? Do you have any suggestions or favorite destinations? Share them with us in the comments below, on our Facebook page, or in our Twitter stream.

It’s hard to remember a time when it was a struggle to lug your luggage through an airport, but it did exist. Travelers had to literally manhandle their suitcases using the handles throughout the airport and to hoist 30 – 40 pound bags onto and off baggage carousels. But everything changed when one airline professional grew weary of the process and decided he could make it better.

Northwest Airlines 747 pilot, Bob Plath, crisscrossed the globe a thousand times over, suitcase in tow. He’d seen firsthand what happened to his luggage and those of others over time and saw the toll it took on travelers hauling it through terminals. He thought there had to be something better.

When he discovered there wasn’t, he invented it.

Travelpro Crew 11 Collection — with both spinner and Rollaboard bags

What Plath created in his garage in 1987 was completely revolutionary. Before his brainchild, all luggage was oriented horizontally. Heavy, inflexible suitcases with handles on top that had to be carried through airports. The only other integrated rolling option was a horizontal model featuring four small wheels and a strap for pulling, that collided with your heels due to the poor balance and ergonomics. Plath’s innovation began with reorienting his bag vertically, and placing larger, stable wheels and a retractable handle system.

Soon fellow pilots and flight attendants began asking him to make what he coined the Rollaboard® for them. When passengers began noticing and asking airline personnel where they had purchased their bags, Plath moved the operation out of his garage into a 185,000 square foot warehouse. He left Northwest in 1991 to focus solely on what has become the industry standard in luggage and the precursor to all other upright, wheeled luggage rolling through the world’s airports.

The Rollaboard changed travel in several fundamental ways:

Airport security procedures and equipment were standardized to accommodate increased use of carry-ons.

Airlines reconfigured their fleets with overhead storage bins that could hold the new carry-ons.

The struggling luggage industry was revived as travelers replaced old horizontal luggage with the much easier-to-use Rollaboards®. Other manufacturers scrambled to develop products that would compete with the new standard.

The tourism industry also received a boost as travel was simplified for everyone, regardless of their conditioning or physical limitations.

Are you old enough to remember those hand-carried suitcases? Or are you fortunate enough to have never been saddled with them? Do you have any great stories to share about the first time you ever used a Rollaboard, or the last time you hand-carried your luggage? Share them with us in the comments below, on our Facebook page, or in our Twitter stream.

The operative word in luggage shouldn’t be “lug,” and Travelpro knows you need the freedom to pack everything you need without being weighed down as you navigate the airport terminal, hotel lobby, or cruise ship gangplank. The Maxlite® 5 Collection — the result of its latest efforts in innovation, functionality, and durability — is up to half a pound lighter than its predecessor, the Maxlite® 4.

Basically, it weighs as much as your average Chihuahua.

At just 5.4 lbs., the Maxlite® 5 21” Exp Spinner and 22” Rollaboard® retain all the quality materials, rigorously tested durability, and thoughtful design you’ve come to expect from Travelpro’s collections. It just weighs less so you can thoughtfully pack as much as possible without being concerned about your bag adding excess pounds to your business trip or vacation.

While other soft-sided luggage might seem lightweight, words such as strong, tough, and durable mean what they say when we talk about the Maxlite® 5 Collection. Built using lightweight materials that resist wear and tear, even through the most rigorous use, this Collection has 16 options, from carry-on totes, garment bags, and backpacks to smooth gliding Rollaboard® and 4-wheeled Spinner models in multiple sizes, Maxlite® 5 is a comprehensive assortment.

Just because you’re choosing Maxlite 5 doesn’t mean you’re sacrificing anything! Let’s start with the Rolling UnderSeat Carry-On, which, just like its name implies, fits under seats of most major domestic airlines. With its many compartments and specially-designed pockets, such as a removable plastic compartment for cosmetics, office supplies, or electronics accessories, you’ll be so organized you won’t know how you ever traveled without it.

The 21″ Expandable Spinner and 22″ Expandable Rollaboard maximize your packing power and allow you to glide through security to your gate on their high-performance wheels. Both are only 5.4 pounds, and for those who are planning longer getaways that necessitate checking your luggage, the 25″ Expandable Spinner is only 7.3 pounds.

All bags feature Travelpro’s DuraGuard® coated fabric that resists water and stains, as well as extra strong PowerScope Lite handles on rolling models and many pockets to help you pack to the max. All are backed by the Built For A Lifetime Limited Warranty. In addition, if you register your bag within the first 120 days of purchase or gift receipt the new Trusted Companion Promise enhancement gets activated which covers damage caused by airlines or other common carries for the first year! That’s a major warranty upgrade!

If you’re traveling abroad and want an ultra-lightweight carry-on that will go the distance, check out the Maxlite® 5 International Carry-On, both in 2-wheel Expandable Rollaboard® and 4-wheel Expandable Spinner models. Both models meet the carry-on size restrictions for most international airlines, you’ll find either of these compact but capable, allowing you to travel light and travel right.

All models in the Maxlite 5 Collection are available in black and exclusively on Travelpro.com in midnight blue, and other color options include azure blue, slate green, and dusty rose.

I was asked recently which of our pieces of luggage within the Crew™ 11 Collection works better for the business traveler, the Spinner (8 wheels) or the Rollaboard® (2 wheels). This is a tough call, because both of them are great products, but in fact there are reasons that one may work better than the other in certain situations.

Both the 21″ Expandable Spinner and the 22″ Expandable Rollaboard® are designed with the frequent traveler in mind. Each bag fits in most overhead bins, and has many features that make either an excellent choice for anyone who spends a lot of time maneuvering through airports and hotels.

Both Crew 11 models have the Suiter system, which protects jackets and dress clothes from excessive wrinkling. The main difference between the two with regard to this feature is that the Spinner’s suiter is a “drop in” version, while the suiter for the Rollaboard® is built into the lid. The Rollaboard® has a slightly larger compartment due to the 2 wheel design so it’s suiter can actually fold up into the lid.

Travelpro Crew 11 Collection — with both spinner and rollaboard bags

Now, the biggest difference: the wheels. This is where most people make their choice. First, the Spinner features MagnaTrac™ self-aligning wheels. This patented design allows you to push the bag with one hand or pull it behind you, and it will always roll perfectly straight, with minimal effort or resistance. This 360-degree maneuverability alleviates arm strain that can occur when pulling a Rollaboard behind you.Read more

Garment bags often get a bad rap for being an outdated “box on wheels” predecessor to the Rollaboard® luggage that is seen everywhere today. Not so!

We like garment bags because they offer a streamlined manner of protecting and transporting business apparel in a way that reduces wrinkling. If you travel for business, and are required to wear suits and semi-formal clothing, you may want to consider a garment bag.

For example, you can typically only pack one suit inside the suiter of a regular carry-on. But if you have several suits or jackets, the garment bag allows you to carry several business dress items virtually wrinkle free.

Travelpro Crew 11 Garment Bag

The Crew™ 11 collection features three models, a basic bi-fold and two sizes of rolling garment bags. As with the entire Crew™ 11 collection, all are made of high-quality ballistic nylon fabric with a Duraguard coating, and feature a large exterior pocket and metal hanger clamps to keep your garments secure. All are subjected to strenuous testing to ensure durability of all moving parts and abrasion resistance over the lifetime of the bag. A limited lifetime warranty is also standard for all three models.

The Bi-Fold has an over-the-shoulder padded strap that can be worn crossbody as well, and has a leather carrying handle. It opens like a book and features multiple accessory pockets for separating and organizing contents. A foam padded roll bar and adjustable hold down straps help prevent wrinkling.

Both the Rolling Carry-on Garment Bag and the 50″ Garment Bag feature a high-performance Rollaboard® wheel system with integrated four-point stability system that keeps the bag from tipping when fully packed and standing upright. They also feature our patented Powerscope Extension Handle which reduces wobble when fully extended. The large compartment in each has a padded roll bar and two adjustable hold-down straps for securing up to four garments, as well as compartments for folded shirts fresh from the cleaners and pants. There are also corner pockets for small essentials such as belts, socks, and toiletries.

Do you regularly travel with suits? Are you a garment bag user? What do you typically look for in a garment bag? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below, on our Facebook page, or in our Twitter stream.

With so many travelers trying to streamline what they use to manage their essentials, knowing all your “personal item” luggage options could make what you carry onboard more efficient. Maybe you’re checking a large suitcase, but still want to take a small personal bag on the plane with you. Or maybe you’re only traveling for a single overnight trip, and a normal rollaboard is too big.

This is where a tote can help out. They’re smaller, lighter, and easier to carry or roll. Here are a few features you should look for in a travel tote.

Navy Travelpro Crew 11 Business Tote

First, just because a tote is lightweight doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be durable. A good tote won’t sacrifice quality and durability for the sake of being lighter. For example, we make our Crew™ 11 Deluxe Tote with the same high-quality ballistic nylon fabric as our other Crew 11 luggage. It’s also thoroughly tested to withstand the same rigors of frequent business travel.

Your tote should also be comfortable to carry. Look for an adjustable strap with a padded shoulder pad so you can wear it hands-free, either over the shoulder or across your body. Look for leather handles so it’s comfortable to carry as well.Read more

Road warriors and frequent business travelers need luggage that will see them through hundreds of thousands of miles and hundreds of hours in the air. You need something that will last for years and not fail on you at the most inopportune moment.

Travelpro Crew 11 Collection

So you may be interested in learning just how thoroughly tested the Crew™ 11 luggage collection is. Crew 11 is the sister collection to our FlightCrew™ 5 collection, which is made specifically for flight professionals. (Our founder, Bob Plath, was originally a pilot for Northwestern Airlines when he invented the Rollaboard Carry-on suitcase, so he understood what flight professionals put their bags through.)

As you would suspect, we have tested every element of Crew 11 with a series of machines developed to test the strength and durability of all our models. For example, the top and side carry handles are put through a jerk test by attaching a fully loaded bag to a machine that roughly lifts, drops, and jerks it, testing the handles as well as the screws that secure them to the bag.

Our high performance wheels are tested for mile after mile over multiple surface types to simulate road warrior usage.Read more

Using “lightweight” and “durability” in the same sentence when describing luggage may seem like an oxymoron. Duffel bags have long been lightweight; heavier hardshell case bags have been durable. And that’s the way it has always been.

Mostly.

The new Travelpro Crew 11 luggage collection

When it comes to “lightweight durability,” at Travelpro®, we have built our reputation on marrying the two.

It’s simple science: The lighter the bag, the more you can put into the bag to meet the maximum allowable rate. With airlines instituting weight limits for checked baggage, and carry-ons for international travel, the empty weight of luggage matters.

It all starts with the lightweight frame, which has been subjected to (and exceeded) rigorous testing criteria. And while all of our collections have new design innovations, let’s focus on Crew™ 11, the sister collection to our FlightCrew™ 5 collection, which is used extensively by flight professionals.Read more